Hungry Hungry Hippos
Sam Stubbs took things to the next level on Saturday against the Gorillas, kicking six goals for the Vultures as they ran rampant on their way to a 75-point victory. Stubbs played the traditional full forward role beautifully, taking marks overhead and kicking some goals that showed his flexibility at ground level. Vultures coach Troy Moncur said after the match they need more support around him, but the way he’s going at the moment, he might not need it.
Daniel Green stood out again, kicking five in the Demons’ loss to Palm Beach. Green, as always, used his body positioning and footy smarts to his advantage, but couldn’t get on the board in the second half. Despite two Kain Ford goals to Surfers, the Lions kicked four un-answered goals in the second half to get the points in a tight tussle.
Jake Calvert bagged three for the Cats in their win over the Magpies, while at the other end Jakob De Winter was again the leading goalkicker for the losing team.
Alexander Mitchell filled his boots up at Sandgate, kicking five as the Panthers got up over the Hawks in a one-sided affair. Youngster Cody Stackelberg impressed for Sandgate, kicking three of his team’s six goals.
Sherrin on a string
Josh Woolley collected the ball almost at will against Surfers and used his long boot to great effect. Woolley had a slower start to the year, but is now forming as one of the most dominant midfielders in the competition. Teammate Jason Burge isn’t far behind him and kicked an incredible long goal just two minutes into the game.
Even though the Magpies went down to the Cats, it was a close one, and supporters would have been pleased with another steady performance from Tom Lelasi. The smart midfielder used the ball well when he had it and tackled hard when he didn’t. Blake Erickson had a breakout game for the Cats, his hard running was impressive, as was his ability to carry the footy and take the game on.
Mt Gravatt young gun Zac Stone took another step in his development against Wilston Grange and was one of the Vultures best on the day. Stone went toe to toe with some of the biggest frames in the comp and held his own, in a symbolic win for Mt Gravatt.
Moving on up
Magpies’ defender Chris Hunt continues to go unobtrusively about his business, playing his role in defence. The tall defender looks comfortable at the level and creates much of the Magpies rebound. If Hunt can just keep improving in increments, he can add a lot to Sherwood’s 2017 prospects.
Alastair Nash was back to his best for Morningside against the Hawks, the solid, big-bodied defender threw his weight around and helped bring his teammates into the game. Nash will be important as the Panthers try to regain control of their season, creating of half back together with Serrurier and Buntain.
Masterminds
Fact: On the weekend, the Surfers Paradise Demons were in front of the second-placed Lions 11 minutes into the last quarter, before having the game taken away from them.
This comes after the Demons 12-point loss to the Western Magpies and before that, a 13-point defeat at the hands of the Gorillas. Add in the Lions result, and Brad Moore’s men have lost three games by a combined total of only 43 points, making their average losing margin just over 14 points for the last three weeks.
Given the above information, it looks like the Demons aren’t too far off the pace and a big scalp is likely incoming. They have a well-earned rest now, with the representative game bye in addition to their round eight bye, setting up their round nine clash with Mt Gravatt as a blockbuster.
Match of the round recap:
https://aflq.com.au/mt-gravatt-vs-wilston-grange/
By Sean Melrose
Follow @seanmelrose
